Knowof aBig Idea?
We’ll awardaprize to thebestBig Ideaof the year. If you’vegotone let usknow:mandi.keighran@ink-global.com
W
hat’s thebig idea?
Beibamboo– a clothing
collection for babies up to
three years old. There’s
also ahospital range
specially designed for prematurebabies.
What’s thedifferencebetween
Beibambooand regularbabyclothes?
The clothing ismade from50per cent
bamboo and50per cent cotton so it’s
soft on sensitivebaby skin; there are
limited seams on theclothing and any
necessary seams arecovered in soft
ribbon; there areno labels on the inside
of theclothing, and somepieces have
fold-overmitts so thebaby can’t scratch
itself. Doublepoppers along thecrotch
of somemodelsmean the garments can
growwith thebaby, important given that
babies can go through six clothing sizes
in their first year.
“Beibamboo is not a fashion
accessory, it’s anecessity,” claims
Finnish founderNina Ignatius, who says
that the garments starting atNOK320
“pay for themselves”.
What’s thisabout ahospital range?
Designedespecially for “preemies” and
newborns, thehospital rangeopens fully,
whichmeans it’seasy tochangeclothing
aroundessential tubes andwires. By
eliminating theneed to interferewith
look at all likewhat I wanted to achieve,
though.” So, shewent back to the
drawingboard and tested the garments
onher owndaughter and friends’ kids.
Five rounds of prototypes later shehad
her first garments. Sheopened aweb
shop andbegan rentingout theclothes.
Renting?
“I thought itwasmadness
howoftenoneneededbigger sizes for
babies,” she says. Thebusinessmodel
turnedout tobe toocumbersome for
Ignatius todealwithalone, however, so
she turned toamore traditional retail
model. “I’d love to resurrect the rental
model if the right partner camealong.”
medical devices, the riskof preventable
infection is also reduced. “It alsomeans
parentscanperform simpleeveryday
tasks, likechanging their child’sclothes
or nappies,” says Ignatius.
Wheredid the ideacome from?
In
2007, Ignatius gavebirth toher daughter
by emergency caesarean twomonths
beforeher duedate. “Having ababy is
already a life-changing experience,”
she says. “When you start that journey
with twomonths in ahospital it canbe
overwhelming.What struckmewas how
little I couldparticipate inmy daughter’s
care– I couldn’t evenchangeher clothes
without being assistedby anurse. I’m a
trained graphicdesigner, and I started
to see therewasmuch that couldbe
improved, even in regular baby clothing.”
What happenednext?
Shebegan to
formulate the idea forBeibamboo inher
head, but didn’t knowhow to start. In
2009,whenher daughterwas almost 18
monthsold, Ignatiuswanted to goback
toworkbutwasmade redundant due to
the recession. Shehadalso just split from
her husband. “I hadno job, no income,
and very low support,” she says. “It came
toapointwhere I felt like I hadnothing to
loseby trying tomakemy ideaa reality.”
Howdid sheget started?
Ignatius
says shedidn’t know anything about
starting abusiness butwithin sixmonths
shehadprototypes for several garments
basedonher drawings. “They didn’t
“Even though theclothes
areabitmoreexpensive,
theypay for themselves”
Previous & this
page
⁄
Beibamboo
founderNina
Ignatiusandher
babyclothes
So,where isBeibamboo sold?
In 13
different countries, including theUSA,
andonline at theBeibamboowebshop.
What’s the feedback like?
“People
say theywish they heard about us
sooner –especially thehospital range.”
Hollywood stars love the range– Ignatius
won’t saywho– andeven Il Divo’s
Sébastien Izambard is a fan. And in2013
shewasnamedoneof
Forbes
’s40women
over 40 for herdesign. “Itmakesme feel
proud,” she says. “I go tobed thinking
that I’mcontributing to thisworld rather
than taking from it.”
beibamboo.com
Norwegianflies toHelsinki from30
destinations.Bookflights,ahotelanda
rental caratnorwegian.com
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THEBIG IDEA
BEIBAMBOO
